1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the process of gridding vases/containers, specifically to such vases/containers which are used by hobbyists and professionals alike to assist and expedite the development and shape of a floral arrangement and to assist in securing the original shape of the arrangement during handling, delivery and installation.
2. Prior Art
Retail florists commonly begin an arrangement by placing a criss-cross pattern of floral adhesive tape across the opening of the vessel, over the lip and down approximately ¼ inch to ½ inch onto the outside of the chosen vessel. The grid is then secured to the vase by tightly wrapping another piece of floral adhesive tape around the outside circumference of the lip of the vessel to bind the tape endings to the outside rim of the container, thus holding the grid work in place.
The size of the voids created by the grid is determined by the preference of the floral designer. Some designers prefer a grid with larger, fewer apertures. While others prefer a smaller, tighter net. Consequently, the ability to vary the size of the apertures and the ability to adapt the gridding to many different sizes and shapes of containers are two very important qualities.
Such a grid is an important means of keeping the stem insertions in place while the arrangement is being developed. The grid also assists in keeping the stems in place during the jostling of the finished product during the delivery process and the installation of the floral piece to its final destination. The strength and durability of the grid is obviously also very important.
Originally the reticular of tape was applied by hand, one piece at a time; first as strips of tape in one direction across the opening. Then, repeating the process in the opposite direction across the opening to eventually form a reticular or fish net pattern of tape over the entire opening. The ends of the strips are bent down over the lip and onto the outside edge of the opening. The net of tape is secured by manually running another piece of adhesive tape very tightly around the outside edge of the container/vase. In essence, the net of tape supports the stems and helps to keep the stems from flopping around during the process of building the arrangement and also during the delivery and installation processes.
Industry professionals commonly use two different styles of floral adhesive tape. The two most popular adhesives are:                #1-a clear scotch tape style        #2-a floral tape that is solid dark green on the outside surface with a white adhesive underneath.Both are produced on rolls 100 yards long. Both are available in two widths. Size A is ¼ inch wide. Size B is ½ inch wide and is generally used for vases/containers with very large openings. The dark green tape has a stronger adhesive, remains bonded longer and holds up better when exposed to water in the container and the humidity and moisture in the flower coolers. It is flawed, however, by the fact that the finished grid is more difficult to camouflage than the clear adhesive one. An important consideration in professional designing is to not allow the mechanics of this type of an arrangement to show. The clear adhesive is easier to hide but does not have the adhesive strength of the dark green tape and doesn't perform as well once the water and moisture are introduced into the mix. In both cases the grid is at risk of collapsing once the vessel is filled with water. The dark green tape is, however, more durable.        
Literally thousands of vases are hand-taped in shops worldwide every year. While the cost of the materials used in the hand-taping method amounts to only pennies per container the tape is susceptible to moisture damage, and the process is very time consuming.
A designer or designer's assistant with average skill and experience can hand tape approximately 30 vases per hour. Consequently the hand-taping method monopolizes many hours of expensive labor.
To date, other inventors have suggested alternatives. Such as:
#1 A complicated series of rubber bands, too complicated and too time consuming to be productive and profitable and not strong enough to support an arrangement or survive delivery.
#2 A flexible grid formed from woven pipe cleaners which is not secured to the vessel, difficult to camouflage, more time consuming to construct and truly pointless in effect because there is not enough strength in the grid to be of assistance.
#3 A plastic closure that is too rigid to design in, too limiting to the sizes of stems that it will receive, too limiting to the types of vases/containers that it will fit, too difficult to camouflage and too expensive to use profitably.
#4 A pre-apertured page of adhesive with tabs around the perimeter is too weak to adhere to the vessel, too limiting on the size of stems it will accept, too difficult to camouflage, too expensive (sometimes costing as much as the vase/container) to use profitably, too susceptible to moisture, too difficult to apply and has definite size limitations.
To date, inventors have suggested 4 alternatives to the primitive hand-taped method.                #1 In the U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,261 the floral arranging accessory that is proposed is designed out of pipe cleaners that are not secured to the container well enough to be used commercially and is also intended to be removed from the finished arrangement. Thus being of no asset in helping to hold the floral materials in place during delivery. This method also appears to be even more time consuming to install and virtually impossible to keep in place while the designing of the arrangement is taking place. It might be of some minor assistance to a hobbyist who has all day to develop an arrangement but, from a professional standpoint U.S. Pat. No. 6,189,261 flexible arranging grid is mainly a toy and would not be acceptable in a commercial setting.        #2 Other problems associated with prior art grids like the ones suggested by in U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,452 are that the plastic cap type grid is too rigid, does not adapt well to the wide variety of shapes, sizes and styles of containers and is difficult to camouflage around the edge of the vessel as well as throughout the lid. The rigidity and size of the apertures limits the size of the stems and consequently the selection of the types of flowers that can be used. The size of the openings is not adjustable to the many different sizes of stems. The plastic cap type grid is also too rigid and doesn't afford the designer the ability to make insertions at different angles which is often necessary to achieve the proper shape and/or camouflage the mechanics (ie. the grid itself).        #3 Furthermore, the grid presently on the market that is a pre-aperatured page of adhesive with tabs around the perimeter allows for a limited diameter stem to be inserted. The manufacturer of the adhesive page grid recommends that you wait 20 minutes after application for the adhesive to set, while our invention is ready to use in seconds. The tabs are difficult to camouflage once they are stuck to the sides of the vase/container and it is difficult to remove the residue once the arrangement is dismantled.        #4 An application (W2002/0184818) is also pending that suggests a floral grid be made out of elastic and stretched over the top opening in the vase. Again, while possibly an aid for the hobbyist, this is not something that would work in commercial floristry. An elastic lid would be too difficult and too time consuming to use effectively with any speed. Each stem insertion would encourage the device to peel off the edge of the vase. If it were left on it would rarely stay on through the jostling of the delivery process. If it were removed before delivery, as the applicant suggests, the flowers would not maintain their placement during the delivery process and chances are a jumbled mess would be delivered instead of a carefully designed arrangement. It would rarely survive delivery. The fact that it is easily removable makes it worthless and a hindrance to product delivery. Commercially speaking we do not want a device that we can reuse. Our mechanics must go out the door with the arrangement. They must be easily camouflaged and need to be disposable after the flowers are spent. Like the plastic lid type grid, the elastic grid is much too expensive to be profitable. Like the plastic lid type grid, the elastic grid is also too difficult to camouflage. The care and handling instruction card that accompanies every arrangement instructs the recipient to “add water daily”. Like the plastic lid type grid, the elastic grid is too difficult to add water through.        